The data is clear: Child marriage problem is a problem right here in the U.S.

Tahirih is proud of our instrumental role in making an IMBRA a reality, but much work remains to translate the law into meaningful and effective protections for foreign brides.

Inter Press Service, a global news agency that focuses on coverage of marginalized communities, brought attention to Tahirih’s call for a coordinated, federal response to the problem of forced marriage in the United States in an article published this week.

Every day, girls as young as eight or nine are forced to marry men who are often decades older. If we do nothing, an estimated 142 million girls will be married as children by the end of this decade.

The Biden administration has presented the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: Strategies for Action, a long-awaited, comprehensive, whole-of-government plan that aims to address and prevent gender-based violence (GBV) in this country.  

The Tahirih Justice Center celebrates this milestone which represents a promise to protect human rights and support safety and justice for survivors of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, child and forced marriage, and other forms of gender-based violence. This plan is the result of years of work by administration officials and stakeholders like Tahirih who convened listening sessions with the White House Gender Policy Council to share our collective knowledge informed by years of providing direct legal and social services to survivors.  

Mariela is a survivor of forced marriage and domestic violence. She is currently seeking an appeal on her asylum case.

Casey Swegman, Tahirih Forced Marriage Project Manager, authored a piece on the challenges survivors of gender-based violence encounter when they seek asylum.